Does Coresidence Improve an Elderly Parent’s Health?

Abstract

It is generally believed that intergenerational coresidence by elderly parents and adult children provides security for parents in their old age. In many countries, such intergenerational coresidence is the most common living arrangement. Using a nationally-representative dataset and a program evaluation technique that accounts for endogenous and heterogeneous treatment effects, we find robust evidence of a negative coresidence effect, contrary to the popular belief. The unintended adverse effect on parental health has significant implications for future informal care policies, given that coresidence is expected to remain the primary form of old age security in the foreseeable future.